Our conversation with Rich Studley
Proposal 1 is the road funding proposal that will be up for a vote on May 5th. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has long expressed their support for a road funding solution, but they are staying neutral on the proposal.
"Within the Michigan Chamber's membership, although there's strong agreement that we need to fix the roads, there is not a consensus or a strong agreement within our membership to either support or oppose Proposal 1," says Michigan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rich Studley.
Studley says chamber members have long been supportive of improving the roads through the legislative process, but members aren’t as confident about adding an amendment to the constitution.
"The state constitution is our most important political document, and I think part of the challenge here is the complexity of the proposed solution - that there are a number of laws that are linked to this," Studley says.
One such change linked to the proposal is a raise in sales tax throughout the state.
According to Studley, the chamber's role now is to educate and inform members on the proposal.
"Whatever the decision is on May 5th, we want to encourage people to get out and vote so that a strong message is sent to Lansing," Studley says.
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